Barcelona is on the brink of signing an agreement with CVC Capital Partners, radio station reports RAC1. The Catalans were initially vehemently against the capital injection that the American-British private equity firm wants to make in Spanish football, but have come closer to the investment fund after lengthy negotiations. For the impoverished Barcelona, the capital injection of 270 million euros is badly needed.
CVC invests two billion euros in Spanish football in exchange for ten percent of the profits of the clubs in LaLiga. The agreement with the investors was voted on last Friday: of the 42 clubs, no fewer than 37 were in favour. Barcelona, Real Madrid and Athletic Club were against, but the deal was formalized last weekend. Barça, Real and Athletic were initially excluded from the deal: the three clubs will not receive any money.
The biggest objection for the three rebellious clubs was that it would take 50 years to repay CVC’s amount. Barcelona may have been able to negotiate more favorable terms after negotiations with the fund. The club expects RAC1 to reach an agreement quickly. With the resulting economic injection, Barcelona can already enter the transfer market in January.
Barça are not only in serious financial, but also in major sporting problems. The Catalans were unable to beat Osasuna (2-2) on Sunday and are in a disappointing eighth place in LaLiga. It is very important for Barcelona to finish in the top four in any case, so that participation in the Champions League is enforced. Barça cannot afford to miss out on those revenues, which are amply budgeted every year.
To escape the sporting malaise, Barcelona wants to attract new players in January. The problem for the Catalans, however, is that the Financial Fair Play rules in Spain dictate that Barcelona is already at its limit when it comes to player budget. Without first selling players, Barça cannot acquire new signings, technical director Mateu Alemany also said at the presentation of Dani Alves in November. Alemany said at the time that Barca were working hard on a solution, which may now be found in the form of a deal with CVC.